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Egypt to reopen Rafah crossing Sunday for pilgrims: Gaza govt

Mustafa Haboosh Wednesday, April 16, 2014

GAZA CITY – Egyptian authorities will open the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip on Sunday for three days, the Gaza government said Wednesday.

"Egyptian authorities will open the Rafah crossing in both directions on Sunday to allow pilgrims to cross," Minister of Awqaf (religious endowments) told Anadolu Agency.

He, however, said the Egyptian authorities would not allow patients and humanitarian cases to cross the terminal.

Gazans complain that frequent border closures by Egypt, in conjunction with an eight-year-old Israeli embargo on the coastal enclave, have contributed to the strip's worsening economic and humanitarian circumstances.

Egypt has tightened its grip on its border with Gaza since last July, when the army ousted Mohamed Morsi, the country's first freely elected president.

Egyptian authorities accuse Hamas, which has governed the strip since 2007, of interfering in Egypt's domestic affairs and carrying out attacks inside the country – charges Hamas emphatically denies.